Archeologists report having discovered a series of lifelike portraits of the deceased, well-preserved mummies, an ancient papyri and a statue of the goddess Isis-Aphrodite.
Egypt continues unraveling its ancient secrets. Archeologists excavating the ancient city of Philadelphia report having discovered a series of ancient mummies with incredible lifelike portraits of the deceased. The incredibly-well preserved mummies were buried in the ancient Egyptian cemetery of the city of Philadelphia. It is located some 120 kilometers from the famous Egyptian pyramids at Giza and the city of Cairo. The city of Philadelphia in Greek translates to “the city of brotherly love.” It was founded during the Ptolemaic period, from 304 to 30 BC. During this time, ancient Egypt was ruled by Pharaohs, who were direct descendants of one of the greatest military leaders in history, Alexander the Great. The city continued to flourish even after the fall of the dynasty when the Romans took control of the land of Egypt.
Ancient Egyptian Cemetary: Mummies, portraits, and more
The Ministry of Tourism of Egypt reports that this finding is rare. During th e19th century, grave robbers were particularly active in raiding a number of sacred ancient sites. They looked for anything of value, including mummy portraits. This is why the find is so rare. As reported by Live Science, the ancient Egyptian cemetery was looted in the 1880s, specifically for Roman mummy portraits. These were then sold to collectors in Europe. But in addition to the incredible lifelike mummy portraits, archeologists also came across an ancient structure where the mummies were buried, as well as the state of the goddess Isis-Aphrodite, a mixture of an ancient Greek-Egyptian goddess associated with love and beauty. Additionally, the archaeologists report having found the remnants of ancient papyri bearing scripture written in Demotic, an ancient Egyptian and Greek writing. Archeologists are looking forward to more discoveries in the future.
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